Folding car-step.



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FOLDING CAR STER. APPLICATION FILED AFR. I5, |915.

1,178,751-- A v A PatentedApr.11,1916.

I A TTU/MIEI x UNrrED STATES- PATENT orFroE.

,EDWIN G. REID, F USAGE CITY, KANSAS, ASSIG-NOR OF 'ONE-HALF T0 CLINTON S.y WOLFE, OF'TOPEKA, KANSAS. i f

Continuation in part vof application Serial No.` 5,443, 'ledFrebruary 1, 191:5. y .15,1915. semaine. 21,5?2, ,y

To all whomz't may concern ,Be it known that I, EDWIN G.Rn1D,-'a citi` zen of the UnitedStates, residing at'Osa'ge City, in the county of Osageand State of,

Kansas, have invented certain new 'and uscfuly Improvements in' Folding Car-Steps; and I dodeclare the following to be" a full,

' clear, and exact descrlption of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled inthe art to Vwhich it appertains tofmake and use the same, reference being had to the accompany.-

ing drawings, and tothe letters and gures oflreference marked thereon, which' forma part, of this specification.

f My. invention relates to,foldi1 1gy carjsteps, and has for its principal ,object to provide a device of this character which may be let` down to assist passengers in` enteringy or leaving Ia railway or like car, but which may be nested beneath the permanently xed steps when not" in use and thereby providel an extensionfor the ordinaryv step which will beout of danger ofV interference when n the car is in motion. In accomplishingthisv object I have provided the improved'details of structure, the preferred' forms of which areillustrated in theaccompanying drawings', Whereinzl' Figure I' isa perspective view ofpartofa, car platform provided with the usual steps andlequipped with my improvement.` Fig.

IIl is an enlarged bottom perspective of part Y ',ofla lower xedl stepand myimproved ex'- tension; Fig. IIIi's I'-a rear perspectiveA ofr a part ofthe hanger ,mechanism ofthel exten sion"v step., -ligf r isafverticalsection of v the same, showing theextension step hangers lowered and the stepf about 'to be 4ilowered't'o functional position., Fig. 'V'fis a similar view of the parts in nested position.

` Referring more in-detail toth`e drawings: 1 designates a railway car of ordinary yconstruction, and 2 theusual car steps, which may belof anyl ordinary or suitable construction as thedetails thereof donot affect my in,ip rovements.V Y f Fixed to the'bottompstep" Znearvthe outer Y edges thereof-are blocks 3 havingA facing romaine cnn-smart i specification of Lettersratem.

Patented Apr. 11, inicik This application mea Aprn travel,rfrontend 'of the block having i bosses; zf-q'at their faces that support ther hangerarms'presently described and which have inclined" forward ends v3 against f which4 said hangerarmsare adapted to rest,y

to brace thearmsr and to hold the same pro- 3ected'sotha`t the steps may bepsupported in advance ofthe permanent step whenin functional? position.` n

f `Slidably mounted in each vof the grooves v 4 are slides 5 which are connected and spaced byfa cross bar 6 'so that the slides may move in unisonfin either direction and are braced inwardly to prevent their escape from their respective slides. .y i

Pivotally mounted on each of the slides 5 in lfrfontofthe cross Vbar 6 is a hanger arm 9which is `pivotall'y vsuspended fromits slide by a p'in 10`V andis connected with" the relal tivelarm at they vopposite side ofthe step,` by ya, cross baril, p ,Y

' Pivotally mounted on the hanger arms 9 forwardly; beyond the hangers, when in functional,pos1tion,"to carry the step ,14' and each beingfprovided with an vupwardly and c Alaterally, offset stop 15 which is adapted for engagement with the rear edge of the hanger arm" to y'which its-rail is connected, in order to limit the pivo and f holdfsame 1n horizontal position, when gthest'epQis lowered Ifor use; the lower' edge offthe rai'lbeingadapted'to 'seat on the' cross 'bar "11" as the'v stop engages the arm, so vthat bothymembers serve ,to hold the step under vthe weightofa person.` The step 14 extends lforwardly a suitable distance and v are the'ste'p rails 13, .each of which projects tal movement of thestep `preferabl'y![extendsiback of the hangerbar f 11; the ral-.f edge ofthestepl plate being turned'upwardly'to; 'form a back stop v1'? that will prevent Vvthe foot ofl a, passenger from moyingover the rear of the stepshould the passenge ,j lip while using'thefstep; it

being apparent that the said back stopanay also r'serve'.as,y a cover or shield for the step mechanism when the'step is nested (Fig. V). v i

Pivotally mountedonears 19 on the' back when" the parts "arches iof"the7liangerfbar11 arebell crank levers f 20'fthe upper arms ofwhich are ,provided withflatch teeth, 21, which are adapted -vfor' ad, to k the@ y.

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tension step in its nested position; the other arms 23 of the said levers being connected by a rod 24C which serves as a handle to unlatch the folding step and also as a weight to automatically throw the latch into locking engagement with the strap. The folding step parts are protected when in nested relation, by a plate 25, which is fixed to the lower edges of the blocks 3 and extends across the step to brace the blocks 3 apart to maintain the proper coperation of the blocks with each other and the sliding parts.

In using the device, presuming the parts to be constructed and assembled as described, with the folding` step nested beneath the fixed member, when the car stops to discharge or take on passengers an attendant arranges the folding step by first lifting on the bar 24 to unlatch the stepvand then drawing' the step outwardly soy that the slides 5 may travel forwardly in the'block grooves until the hanger arms have passed over the bosses 3-5 andmay drop to functional position. When the hangers are down the step 14 may be pivoted forwardly to extend the step; the stops 15 on the step rails engaging the rear edges of the hanger when the step is in horizontal position to maintain such position under weight of persons entering or leaving the car; the upturned back flange of the step serving as a protection against the person slipping beneath the fixed step, when the inclined bosses 3 stop the hanger arm to hold the step advanced so that it may be conveniently utilized. Vhen the car is ready to move, the attendant lifts the step proper to aline it with the hangers, lifts the free edge ofthe hangers until they vare parallel with the bottom o-f thexed step and moves the parts backwardly beneath the protecting plate 25; the slides 5 traveling in the grooves in the blocks 3 to allow the parts' to assume their nested position and the parts being moved backwardly until they are completelv nested between the step and plate 25. When the parts are in this position the handle rod is released and its weight throws the latch teeth back of the strap 22 so that the step is held against accidental displacement and until the attendant again rocks the bar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The combination with a fixed step, of grooved members suspended from said step, a slide adapted for travel in the grooved members, hangers suspended from said slides, and an extension step mounted on said hangers with the extension step hangers mounted to permit the same to travel with the slide and nest beneath the fixed step.

2. The combination with a fixed step, of grooved members suspended from said step, a slide adapted for travel in the grooved slides supported members, hangers suspended from said slide, an extension step mounted o-n said hangers with the extension step hangers mounted to permit the same to travel with the slide and nest beneath the fixed step and a latch for retaining the parts in their nested relation.

3. The combination with'a fixed step, of blocks suspended from said step and provided with facing grooves the said blocks having protuberances forming stop faces near the front ends of the grooves, slides adapted for travel in the grooves, hangers pivotally connected with the slides and adapted for abutment against said stop faces, and an extension step mounted on the hangers.

t. The combination with a step, of blocks suspended from the step and provided with grooves and having protuberances thereon forming stop faces adjacent the ends of the grooves, slides adapted for travel in said grooves, hangers pivotally mounted on the slides and adapted for support on the protuberances and abutment against the stop faces, and anextension step mounted on the hangers.

5. The combination with a step, of blocks suspended from the step-and provided with grooves andI having protuberances thereon forming stop faces adjacent the ends of the grooves, slides adapted for travel in said grooves, hangers pivotally mounted on the slides and adapted for support on the protuberances and abutment against the stop faces, andan 'extension step pivotally mounted on the hangers and adapted to fold relative thereto to nest with the hangers beneath the .first named step.

6. The combination with a step, of means carried by the step for supporting slides, slides supported by said means, hangers supported by said slides and comprising a crossbar, arms pivotally mountedV on said hangers andlcomprising shoes adapted for abutment against said hangers with the arms supported on the crossbar, and a' step carried by said arms.

7. The combination with a step, of means carried by the step for supporting slides, by said means, hangers supported by said lslides and vcomprising a crossbar, arms pivotally mounted on said hangers and comprising'shoes adapted for abutment against said hangers with the arms supported on the crossbar, a step carried by said arms, bell crank arms mounted on the faces, slides adapted for travel in said grooves and for abutment-in said grooves,

hangers pivotally suspended from said slides, means for limiting the rearward movement of the hangers, a step pivotally mounted on the hangers, means on the step for engaging the hangers and for limiting the pivotal movement of the step, a stop on the rear edge of` said step, and a plate Xed to the lower under edges of said blocks to space the latter and protect the step when the 'parts are lifted. g

9. The combination with a fixed step, of blocks suspended from said step and having facing grooves, slides in said grooves, a

Yhanger suspended from the slides, a step pivotally mounted on the hanger, latch levers pivotally mounted on the hanger, a rod connecting the latch levers, and a strap on the under face of the fixed. step adapted parts are nested.

10. The combination with a step, of blocksk suspended from the step and provided with grooves and having proturbances thereon forming step faces adjacent kthe ends ofthe grooves, slides adapted for travel in'said grooves, hangers pivotally mounted on the slides' and adapted for bearing against the faces of said protuberances and an yextension step mounted in said hangers, the faces. of said protuberanoes being inclined to pro-` jectv the hangers forwardly, substantially ,asy

set forth. v l

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of twoA witnesses. Y

, l EDWIN G. REID. `Witnesses: l

F. G. HOLMES, W. E. JENKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the,0om1ni$ssioner of Patents,

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